Jill's Space

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 12/04. I did lots of chemo to prevent it's return. In 6/06 I was told that I had a new primary tumor. I was tested and found out that I was BRCA 1+. I had surgery and did more preventative chemo that ended in 1/07. In 2/07 I was told that I had lung mets. At this time my cancer seems to be chemo resistant. I had a Stem Cell Transplant through a clinical trial in 8/07. I had some liver mets show up in 2/08.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I am back in the hospital again. I am at North Memorial this time. Last night I had a bloody nose that would not stop so after 3 hours I went to the Emergency Room. This is from the blood thinners they have me on. They have given me bags of Plasma and vitamin K to reverse the blood thinner. I don't even want to talk about the things they did or left in my nose. The bleeding still hasn't totally stopped. They are also going to give me a unit of blood. My hemoglobin has dropped to 7 now that I have lost so much blood. I should get out Thursday or Friday.

Monday, April 14, 2008

I met with my oncologist today. We went over my latest scan and the lung tumors are still growing. The Gemzar didn't do anything. The largest tumor was 5cm two months ago and now it is 5.5 cm. I think thats growing fast - the doc says it really isn't fast. We can try more chemo....radiation or surgery really isn't an option. We talked about Abraxane. I am going to think about it for a few weeks. I just want to feel good for a little bit.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

I had the ultrasound on my leg today. The blood clot goes from my knee to groin. It sounds huge, but I guess this is not unusual. My doctor thinks I should get a VenaCava filter put in. They would insert the filter above the clot, so it could catch anything that breaks off. I already have two pieces in my lungs already, so it's a good idea.

I am going to call in the morning to schedule. My doctor thinks they might be able to get me in Friday. I am only mildly terrified to have this done. You are awake for the procedure, and they access the vein through your groin. In the meantime every one is telling me to "take it easy".

Monday, April 7, 2008

I went in this afternoon for a regular re staging scan. The phone was already ringing when we got home. It was my oncologist calling - that can't be good. He said the radiologist found a problem on the scan. I have a blood clot in my lung. It turns out is also related to my puffy foot. He asked me if I was having pain anywhere and I told his about the back of my knee hurting for awhile(I thought it was related to my weak leg muscles) and the puffy foot that showed up Sunday. He said that it is likely the original clot is located there and some broke off and ended up in my lung. The puffy foot would be lymphdema caused by the clot pushing on the lymph nodes. They are going to do an ultrasound to confirm this.

The treatment is to be on blood thinners (probably forever!!). I will be giving myself injections twice a day, so the pills have time to start working(5 days). He also said I should avoid using that leg too much for a couple of days. I almost afraid to move. I'm not sure if I should go to work tommorow. I actually feel good.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

I finally got my red cells today. I was at the clinic all day. I was able to get a room with a bed, so I slept all day. It was great - an uninterrupted nap. I feel better already. I was so weak this morning that I could barely walk from the car to the clinic. It's a good thing that I had someone to drive me.